A Little Bit Isolated
by Eclipsia
Summary: Sarah sat with Chloe and Zoey at lunch on her first day, during which they all came to understand each other a little better. Unfortunately.


You know, Sarah honestly could not tell how well her first day at Horseland was going.

The stable itself was roomy, clean and organized; the horses in the barn all looked healthy and well taken care of; and as promised, the pastures were both gorgeous and expansive. And, most importantly, Scarlet appeared to be comfortable in and receptive to her new living situation.

By all accounts, everything should be fine. But... it wasn't _._

Sarah didn't want to sound overly self-focused, but the other students in her riding class didn't seem to be very friendly to her at all. As a matter of fact, they were acting almost _hostile,_ if the interactions she'd had with them thus far were anything to go by. But maybe it was her imagination. Perhaps she was just feeling self-conscious because she was new? Still, it was only her first day, and Sarah wanted to see it through and not jump to any hasty conclusions.

These thoughts prodded glumly at Sarah's mind as she approached the impressive stone building. The tall blonde boy, who was going to be her riding instructor – _Will,_ she reminded herself – had given her directions as to how to find the dining hall, where the students gathered for provided lunches during mealtime.

With the turn of a knob the front door opened without so much as a creak (surprising, for such a seemingly old house). The pleasant aroma of what must be tasteful scented candles greeted her inside, a sharp contrast to the natural smell of the stable she had been in just minutes earlier.

A small smile couldn't help but sneak across her face as she carefully shut the door behind her with a soft _click_ and took in her surroundings. Soft rugs, wood paneling, flowering paintings on the wall, the quiet ticking of an unseen grandfather clock. She was alone, and the foyer was quiet, and she took a moment to appreciate the sunlight filtering in through the windows. A warm feeling briefly flitted into her heart like a bird returning to its nest.

This place – the house, the stables, the pastures, all of it – this place felt like it could be _home_ , and she wasn't sure why. Maybe since the start of summer break, the empty rooms and halls that had surrounded her in her own house were finally getting to her, and she was just excited to be around people again. No offense to her parents and her cat, of course, who were lovely company.

There was a faint, empty growling from her stomach that interrupted her meditation, a reminder of her initial goal. Now, where did he say the dining hall was?

Beyond the stairs, down the hallway, and past a few sunny windows later, Sarah soon met with a set of wooden double doors, and along with them the sound of muffled chatter and clattering dishes. She peered into the room curiously and saw to her surprise that it was practically large enough to be a ballroom (albeit a rustic one). There were plenty of tables and chairs and even a small kitchen on the other side of the serving bar. A few students were waiting in line, while others sat at the tables engaged in cheerful conversation.

The Stilton sisters who'd been hovering around her since she arrived were nowhere in sight, and Sarah felt unabashedly relieved at that, especially when she saw that Alma, Molly, and the son of the owners were ahead of her in line. _If now's not a good time to get acquainted then I don't know what is._ She thought, nabbing a tray on her way over.

"Mmm! Smells good!" She said conversationally, coming up behind the trio.

"The grilled cheese is the best," Alma replied with a grin, glancing at Sarah only to do a double take and suddenly frown deeply. "Though... probably not as good as what you're used to."

Okay, there was unmistakably an edge of spite in that last comment. But over what? Grilled cheese?

"No, it's fine, I love grilled cheese sandwiches." She offered hastily. Or at least, she would have, if she hadn't been interrupted by a pair of voices piping up behind her.

"Sarah! There you are!"

"What are you _doing_?"

The Stiltons had materialized out of thin air by Sarah's side and were taking hold of her arms with their own trays in hand. "Come with us!" was the only comment out of one sister's mouth before they both nearly dragged her to the front of the line.

A glance back at the others kids revealed they were looking at each other with distaste about what happened, though, and Sarah flinched with distress. "Shouldn't we wait in line?"

" _Puh-leez_ , Sarah," Z – Zoey, right? Yeah, Zoey – laughed like Sarah had said something funny, while elbowing the stout boy in front out of the way without so much as a thought. He looked cross about it, but she took the time to bat her eyes at him, and he complied with a disgruntled roll of the eyes, apparently not wanting to get on her bad side. "Privileged girls like us have a right to get what we want when we want, you know?" she continued.

Sarah squinted her eyes at that comment, but the pair had already served themselves their own dishes of sandwiches and freshly cut fruit (which, frankly, looked delicious), and even neatly set a few on Sarah's tray as she stared dumbfounded at their behavior.

"Drinks are this way." Chloe waved for Sarah to follow, merely a glimpse of long strawberry-blonde hair as she made her way to the next destination. Sarah hesitated before trailing after them, but not before mouthing a sympathetic apology to the boy. He wasn't looking at her to see it, though.

A few minutes later they were all seated with their beverages, far away from where the others were gathering, by a nice window view that showed all the pastures and even the dense tree line in the distance. Looking out made Sarah anticipate future breezy trail rides on the warm summer days ahead of them.

Chloe had taken a few packets of sugar from where the coffee was served and was sprinkling a light layer over her fruit. "So, Sarah, your top five vacation spots, go!"

"Oh!" Sarah startled, tearing her gaze away from the view. "Um... well, my family and I don't travel much really. But I would love to visit the ocean." With her horse, preferably. The image of Scarlet cantering in the wet sand and playfully kicking up ocean water was almost too delightful to imagine.

"I know, right? Pretty much anywhere in California would be completely amazing for me." Zoey said, nodding her head sagely. "Especially to avoid so much of that awful snow in winter."

Sarah looked between the two of them and decided to interject before the conversation could progress any further, setting a hand on the table to get their attention. "First, I don't want to get anyone's names wrong. Chloe and Zoey, right?" her fingers gestured to them in order. "Or is it the other way around?"

"I'm Chloe, she's Zoey." The sister dressed in the purple cardigan clarified over a bite of sugared cantaloupe.

"Right, okay. I just wanted to be sure–"

"Don't worry, people get out names mixed up all the time like you wouldn't believe." Zoey spoke over her again, tilting her face forward into the light, and Sarah was once more distracted by how long and sharp these girls' eyelashes were. It was a fierce look, that's for sure. "Old people do it the most, though. Don't even ask about our grandparents."

Sarah finally cracked a genuine smile. "Hey, are you saying I'm like an old lady?" she teased.

"You better not be!" Zoey was wide-eyed as she bit into her sandwich. "Old ladies are so boring, all they talk about is old stuff and dead people."

Sarah's smile faltered, struck into silence.

"You're not boring, though." Chloe was quick to add.

Truthfully, she doubted that comment, considering the fact that all of her conversations with the Stiltons thus far had been one-sided and she couldn't even get out two sentences without being interrupted. Sarah rested her chin on her palm as Chloe continued obliviously.

"You're like us, Sarah, riders who actually have money and nice clothes to match our skills."

"So true." Zoey spoke into her napkin until she swallowed. "Your tie and jacket combo is so cute and smart! Honestly, more people at this place should dress like you. It'd make the whole stable look more professional. For example, people like Alma over there aren't helping Horseland's image." She and her sister shared knowing grins at each other before bursting into barely-smothered giggles.

"What do you call that awful color she wears all the time, Chloe? Electric _swamp_ green?"

Chloe laughed openly at that, and Sarah glanced over at the kids sitting across the way. Molly was eying their group as her other friends conversed cheerfully. Oh no, could she hear what Chloe and Zoey were saying? Sarah's eyes darted to the snickering girls beside her. They weren't really trying to keep their voices down, and she didn't want to be associated with this type of conversation.

With another glance at Molly, Sarah cleared her throat and said in a lower tone, "Hey, that isn't nice. I mean, if someone's happy with how they look then that's all that really matters, isn't it?"

Chloe simply waved the matter off. "Sarah, you don't have to force yourself to act so polite and junk around us. You're among friends now that we've all found each other, so you can say what you really feel."

"We won't judge." Zoey nodded in agreement.

Her fingers toyed with the edge of her napkin as she stared evenly at the girls sitting across from her. "That is how I really feel."

There was a pause, and then the two sisters exchanged glances with a flit of the eyes and a look of questioning, mouths open but no sound making its way out. Sarah Whitney probably wasn't turning out to be much of who they thought she would be.

All it took was another awkward, silent second before Chloe's eyebrows suddenly lowered over her slightly narrowing eyes, and she casually leaned closer to her sister with a humorous sneer on her face. "Wow, Sarah, calm down. No need to freak out on us like that."

"Yeah," Zoey grinned, catching on and making a face. "Sorry, didn't realize you'd be so oversensitive."

Sarah for sure wasn't looking to make enemies on her first day (and she wasn't about to give up on that effort with the other kids) but if she _had to_ make enemies, it might as well be over something she could actually control. "I'm not overreacting." she insisted. "I just think it's important to talk to and about other people with respect."

Zoey looked simply flabbergasted, placing a hand to her chest. "Then treat _us_ with respect, why don't you, or at least our opinions. Everyone's entitled to those, you know."

"Well, _yes_ , but–"

"It's okay, Sarah, I get it." Chloe was shaking her head, still furrowing her brows at Sarah like she was a problem developing right before their eyes. "You pity other people who are less fortunate than you, right? Because you're so nice and you feel bad that you're rich or something."

Sarah sputtered, jerking her head back at the very idea, but Zoey spoke up before she could form a response. "Aww, that's so sweet!" The redhead graced Sarah with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You should start a charity organization or something."

Chloe had absently pulled out her cell phone and started texting. "You know, Sarah, if you keep hanging out with us, we can help you learn to flaunt your money." She drawled, not once looking up, her fingers flying across the miniature keypad.

"Yeah. So you won't have to feel guilty all the time and act like such a drag to the people who actually _want_ to be your friend." Zoey added.

Sarah frowned. Wait... what?

" _Or_ , if you want, you could go over there and chill with the other girls – they're _thrilled_ that you're here." Chloe's eyes looked up to meet Sarah's surprised face before slipping back down to the screen as a flippant smirk pulled at the corner of her lips.

Sarah watched them closely, suddenly hoping they'd say more, but Zoey was pointing at the cell phone's screen and the two of them whispered discussion about whoever they were texting, effectively shutting Sarah out.

 _They're_ thrilled _that you're here._

What did that mean?

Certainly not what she thought it meant. She hadn't mentioned anything to Chloe about how she felt the others had been acting. Because it just _felt_ like they'd been cold to her, surely they didn't _actually_ –

That made no _sense..._

Speaking of things that made no sense, her anger suddenly flushed up again at what Chloe and Zoey had said about her. It's like the two simply thought in terms of money and let that dictate their behavior, and Sarah had more than her fill of people like that already. She had a lot of things to say in rebuttal to their comments but somehow she knew it'd be like arguing with a brick wall. _Two_ brick walls, covered in glitter and eyeliner and things that only had value because they were expensive.

Taking a deep breath, she picked at the toasted bread of her sandwich with no appetite as Chloe and Zoey paid her no more mind.

A burst of laughter echoed over from the far tables and Sarah glanced over to see the three friends taking turns trying to throw food into each other's mouths and missing, sometimes deliberately, and hitting each other in the face with chunks of fruit instead.

Furrowing her brows slightly, she turned her head to watch them more closely. They were ribbing each other good-naturedly, and then Alma suddenly sat up straight and said, "Oh! I almost forgot, I'm an aunt now! Let me show you the pictures." She pulled out her phone and eagerly showed the pictures on it of the young family member.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Sarah could hear Molly say. "She is 'she', right? Sorry, it's hard to tell with babies."

Bailey was looking at the pictures on the phone with a charming grin on his face. "Wow, that's great! You're brother's a cool dude, I'm happy for him." Quickly, he seized more pieces of food. "Hey, Molly, heads up!"

"Huh?" And then she was hit in the face with a grape ricocheting off her cheek. "Ow, Bailey, that's not fair! I wasn't _ready._ "

More laughter.

Sarah bit her lip, thinking to herself, and then sat back up in her chair so she could finish her food and not be hungry later. "I think I'm gonna go out to the stables and check on Scarlet." She told the Stilton girls once she was done, standing and picking up her tray. The two grinned like nothing uncomfortable had happened among them.

"Bye, Sarah," Zoey chirped.

"See you later." Chloe looked confident, like she figured she'd made her point.

Sarah was off, hurrying out the doors, breathing hard. She didn't _want_ to head off alone, but she needed a moment to gather her thoughts and decide what it was exactly that she was feeling right now. Her first instinct was actually to call her mom, which made her smile tensely and shake her head. No - whatever was going on here, she could handle it on her own.

She bumped into Will on her way back down the stairs.

"Finished with lunch already?" He said, smiling.

"Uh.. yeah, actually." Sarah looked up at him, pausing on the steps. "Finished with your chores?"

Will nodded his head, hooking a thumb through his belt loop as he leaned on the railing. "Yup. Now I gotta go be sure the lesson's prepared for today and get something to eat real quick. Let me know if you need anything, all right?"

She gave him a thumbs up. "Got it."

And just like that he was gone, heading the way she came from.

Sarah stood on the staircase by herself, gazing around the nice-smelling foyer with its paintings and soft rugs and hollow ticking of the grandfather clock. It didn't really invoke the same feeling as before. The more she thought about it the more she really did want to see Scarlet again, who hopefully was feeling less isolated in this place than her owner did.

Stepping outside into the warm sunlight, Sarah headed down the path and hoped the rest of the day would go better than it had thus far.

* * *

Author's note: As we know from the episode, things get a little bit worse for Sarah before they get better!

I've literally always been curious about Sarah, Chloe and Zoey all hanging out together on that first day. This is kind of supposed to be a look into what that might've been like for them! While I was here I also wanted to possibly rationalize why Chloe and Zoey were so quick to throw Sarah under the bus later in the episode (when they said that it was Scarlet who had bit Button), because otherwise it seems odd that they'd turn on her so abruptly? Something must have happened to turn them sour.

I took a roughly five month long break from this and was trying to clean it up these past two days, but unfortunately now I see why I gave up on it in the first place ahaha. Everything's so on-the-nose, I'm CRINGING. and the pacing does that awful thing where it's too slow in the beginning but then disproportionately fast toward the end. Is it just me? and how does one even begin to fix that  
BUT! at the end of the day I put thought/effort into it, and I like the ideas even if I couldn't get it to where I wanted, so I kind of felt inclined to post the whole thing anyway.

if you read it, ahh thank you! hopefully you were entertained. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Even if you hated it, so I can do better next time.


End file.
